


We Should Have a Dance

by rose_of_the_underworld



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017), Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mid-Canon, Missing Scene, Pining, Romance, Swooning, belle is an awkward dork who doesn't know how to handle her crush, except it's worse because it's true love, friends trying to be lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 07:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14207766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rose_of_the_underworld/pseuds/rose_of_the_underworld
Summary: "You're making everything look so beautiful. We should have a dance."Missing scene from the 2017 film.





	We Should Have a Dance

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking about how that throwaway line meant to indicate the Beast's anxiety was just so romantic and smooth and I was sad that we didn't get to see Belle's reaction to it. So here we go.

Belle and the Beast had become accustomed to taking a walk around the castle grounds every day after lunch. This day, however, was particularly windy. Belle had decided to brave the winds in favor of spending time with her Beast - and she blushed at the thought. When had she started thinking of him as  _ her _ Beast? She hoped he would just think that it was the cold air turning her cheeks pink. 

He held his arm out to her when they came to a slippery part in the path and Belle took it gratefully. When they had successfully navigated the ice patch, Belle did not let go of him and instead snuggled closer to him. He was always so  _ warm _ . She shivered at his proximity.

“Belle, are you cold?” the Beast asked.

“No, I’m fine,” she assured him.

They continued their walk, discussing the book they had recently read together. Eventually, it  _ was _ the wind making Belle shiver.

“Belle, let’s go inside,” the Beast said.

“But I want to keep walking,” Belle insisted. 

“How about we walk inside?” the Beast suggested. “I’m sure there’s still parts of the castle you haven’t seen. I can show them to you and this way you won’t freeze to death.”

“We can do that,” Belle agreed.

The Beast showed Belle around a small art gallery which delighted her, but she was eager to keep exploring. After the gallery, they came across a large double set of doors. 

“What’s in here?” Belle asked.

“The ballroom,” Beast replied. 

“You have a ballroom?” Belle grinned. She reached for the door handles before stopping herself. “Can I see it?” Belle had learned her lesson about boundaries during her first night at the castle. 

He nodded and gestured for her to open the doors. Belle did so with gusto and gasped. It was as grand as the library, just in a different sort of way. While the architecture of the library was stunning, for Belle, its true beauty lay in the books and comfortable furniture. The ballroom was a wide open space with white, gold, and blue decor, several crystal chandeliers, enormous windows and glass doors leading to a balcony, and a mural on the ceiling depicting cherubs in heaven. 

Belle laughed and twirled around the ballroom on her own. She imagined what it must have looked like in the days when her Beast was still a prince. Ladies and gentleman dancing around in the most beautiful clothes and jewels. Banquets of rare delicacies and fine wines and champagnes. She could imagine the Maestro and the Madame performing. Belle had told Madame when they first met that she was not a princess, but seeing the ballroom and imagining what it must be like to attend such a grand party made her wish that she was one. 

Belle stopped her twirling and turned back toward the entrance to see the Beast staring at her. He had a small smile on his face and a look in his eyes that both excited and terrified her. His bright blue eyes were full of warm and tender affection that made her heart pound in her chest. It was hard to look at him when he looked at her like that, but even harder to look away. She thought that her own eyes must have held similar emotions when looking at him, but she never quite allowed her mind to linger on such thoughts. Belle knew that once she opened that door there was no closing it again. Was she ready to open the door?

Belle took a few steps toward the Beast and he took a few toward her. They met in the middle, less than a foot apart.

“It’s wonderful,” Belle said. “Thank you for showing me.”

“You’re welcome,” he said softly. He still held her gaze.

“What is it?” Belle’s voice was almost a whisper. 

“You’re making everything look so beautiful,” Beast said. “We should have a dance.” 

At these words, Belle’s head felt light and her knees gave out. She would have fallen backwards had the Beast not caught her. 

“Belle?” His brow creased in alarm. “Are you alright?”

Belle nodded. She caught her breath and inhaled and exhaled slowly. 

“Just lost my balance there for a moment,” she said. “I think a dance is a lovely idea.” 

The Beast smiled at her. 

“Tonight?” he asked. 

“Yes, tonight,” Belle confirmed.

They stared at each other for another moment before Belle realized that she was still in his arms.

“I -” She took a step back and he released her. “I should go find something to wear.”

“Yes, of course.” The Beast took a step back as well. 

“I’ll see you tonight,” Belle said. She started to walk toward the doors.

“Tonight,” the Beast repeated.

When Belle had reached the doors, she gave him one last smile before slipping out of the ballroom. She took slow, measured steps down the hallway, then she ran back to her room in the East Wing. She was glad to see that Madame de Garderobe was asleep. She needed to sort out her thoughts.

A dance! The only dances Belle had ever been to were the village dances and somehow she didn’t think this would be the same. Papa had taught her the waltz as a girl, but would that be enough? She was going to a dance with a prince for God’s sake! Sure, he was a beast now, but he had probably attended hundreds of balls before the curse. Belle was no Cendrillon, what was she to do?

Belle felt faint again. She laid down on her bed and tried to process what had just occurred in the ballroom. 

_ You’re making everything look so beautiful. We should have a dance. _

Belle couldn’t help but let out a giggle and she felt her cheeks heat up. Belle wasn’t blind; she knew that she was considered attractive. People had told her she was beautiful before, but she never quite felt flattered by it. It was just what she looked like, she couldn’t help it. Gaston had told her countless times how beautiful she was, but that had always made her feel disgusting rather than uplifted. She supposed that was because it was all he saw in her and because she knew that he was disgusting on the inside. 

But the Beast didn’t say that Belle looked beautiful, he said that she was making everything look beautiful. To Belle, that was different and so much better. To the Beast, she wasn’t an ornament, she was a presence. It was an incredibly kind, thoughtful, and -  _ dare she think it? _ \- romantic thing to say. Belle’s smile grew wider. Did he really think she made life beautiful? 

When Belle had first arrived at the castle, she had thought it dark and cold. But as she got to know the Beast, little by little, light started creeping into place. It wasn’t a prison, it was a home. More often than not these days, Belle had caught herself thinking of it as her home. Back in Paris, she had told the Beast, “Let’s go home.” She had felt instant relief when they had returned to the castle, side by side. Were they really that similar? Was Belle a light for him, the way he was for her? 

Before today, Belle wouldn’t have been certain of the answer. But now she was. She knew by now that her Beast did not mince words. He didn’t say things that he didn’t mean. This was a relief to Belle, but it was also scary. What did it mean for them, their friendship, if they both thought about each other in these ways? Belle had never had a friend before. How did one know what was friendship and what was something beyond that? 

A snort and a yawn broke Belle out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Madame waking up from her nap. 

“Buongiorno mi cara,” Madame said around a yawn. “What time is it?”

“Buongiorno, Madame, right now it’s…” Belle looked over at the small clock on the mantelpiece. She let out a small yelp. “It’s four o’clock!” 

“Is that a problem?” Madame asked.

“I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.” Belle stood up and begin to pace. “I need to find something to wear! And do my hair! Should I try makeup? Do we even  _ have _ makeup?” 

“Slow down, Belle,” Madame said. “What do you need all that for?” 

“We’re having a dance!” Belle squeaked. “The Beast invited me to have a dance tonight and I said yes.” 

“Dio mio!” Madame exclaimed. “No wonder you’re in such a state.” 

“I’ve never been to a formal dance before.” Belle bit her lip. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Do not worry cara,” Madame said. Belle could hear a smile in her voice. “I will help you. First, go take a bath. Get cleaned up and calm your nerves.”

“Right,” Belle said. “A bath.” 

She could handle a bath. She would deal with the rest later. 


End file.
